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WILLIAM MAXWELL 

A Vu^giniait of Aitte-Bellum Days 



By 
REV. W. H. T. SQUIRES, M. A., D. D. 

Norfolk, Va. 



By Courtesy of the Editors of Union Seminary Magazine, Richmond, Va. 






Cxft 
-Author 
^Sy 25 1St8 



^ WILLIAM MAXWELL 

^ By the Eev. W. H. T. Squires, D. D. 

Pastor of Knox Preshytenan Church, Norfolk, Va. 

His brilliant life spanned that long and interesting period 
which opened at the Revolution and closed at the Civil War. 
He was born in Norfolk, Va. (1784), less than three months 
after General Washington had delivered his farewell address 
to the army. He died near Williamsburg (1857) two months 
before Chief Justice Taney had rendered the Dred Scott de- 
cision. These were the days of intellectual giants in Church 
and State and Maxwell was a king among them. It is to ques- 
tion whether the Virginia of his time produced a more cul- 
tured, gifted and versatile son than he. 

His name and fame have become obscured. Had Maxwell 
devoted his talents to politics as he did to law, literature and 
education, his fame would be secure. It must be remembered 
that he passed away just before the long and heart-breaking 
series of catastrophies that befell in the terrible years of blood, 
glory, defeat and humiliation (1861-75). There was but lit- 
tle chance for kindly courtesies to the memory of departed 
benefactors. Yet, even so, this does not wholly excuse, if it 
does in part explain, the seeming neglect of those for whom 
he labored more directly. His life is a peculiar ornament and 
his memory should remain the care of the Presbyterians of this 
state, the college of Hampden-Sidney and the city of Norfolk. 

The family was Scotch, as the name indicates. But his 
father, James Maxwell, was loyal to this, his adopted country, 
and served faithfully in the infant navy of Virginia. So ef- 
ficient was Captain Maxwell that he was made "general su- 
perintendent" of the little Virginia fleet. In November, 1781, 
he was put in command of the "Covenant," a man-of-man of 
considerable displacement. 



Like others of his blood, James Maxwell knew how to earn 
a dollar and how to keep it. At his death in 1795 he left a 
handsome estate to his children. 

William graduated from Yale at the age of eighteen. He 
was a favorite pupil of Kev. Timothy Dwight, who had a 
marked influence on his life. His degree well won, Maxwell 
returned to Virginia and studied law in Kichmond. He was 
admitted to the I^orfolk bar when twenty-four years of age 
(1808). The proverbial years of starvation and neglect that 
test the courage of those who covet legal honors were not the 
portion of William Maxwell. He was promptly retained in a 
case of importance, "Wilson and Cunningham vs. the Marine 
Insurance Company of I^orfolk." His brilliant pleading in 
this his maiden appearance secured for him instant recogni- 
tion as the leading attorney of the local bar, despite his youth 
and inexperience. Nor did the passing years dim his prestine 
renown. The laurels gathered by his youthful efforts never 
faded. Each year almost without exception brought to Max- 
well some new legal triumph. 

As AN Orator. 

His reputation spread through state and nation. Many 
well qualified to judge counted him the most eloquent speaker 
in America. And it is to remember that America was full of 
men powerful on the hustings. The art of public speaking 
was developed in the post-Kevolutionary era as it had not been 
developed before or since. Patrick Henry had passed, but his 
influence was still potent. John Eandolph, of Eoanoke, was 
Maxwell's senior by only eleven years. Yet Dr. James W. 
Alexander declared in 1827 that Maxwell was "the very best 
orator I know anywhere." And Hugh Blair Grigsby, who had 
abundant opportunities to hear and to judge the greatest speak- 
ers in the whole country, says of him, "His wit was as keen as 
the scimitar of Saladin, and his humor, which he put forth at 
will, was irresistible. As an orator he stood in his day and 
generation without an equal. I have heard many of the most 

2 



eloquent men who from the date of the Virginia Convention 
of 1776 to the middle of the present century were classed among 
our greatest speakers, and, looking to the sphere he chose, I 
do not hesitate to declare that in my opinion Maxwell surpassed 
them all/' 

Maxwell's gift of expression was remarkable, for ail his 
speeches were delivered extemporaneously. He never wrote a 
speech unless after delivery. His "readiness was uncommon; 
if knocked up at midnight he would make a finer speech than 
any one else could have done after deliberate preparation." 
But such a gift Avas not the readiness of a superficial talker. 
He was deeply read in the English classics and had cultivated 
a splendid native endowment with painstaking self-discipline. 

To quote Grigsby again, "He is the only eminent man I 
have ever known to appear before such a body as the Phi Beta 
Kappa Society of Yale on one of their formal anniversaries 
without a single line of written preparation. Yet Maxwell 
succeeded. When a coimnittee of the society reported its thanks 
and asked him for a copy of the speech for publication, they 
could hardly believe their ears when told that tlie speech was 
entirely extemporaneous." 

As A Poet. 

Maxwell's success in literary effort did not approach his fame 
as an orator. Had he written more his fame would have rest- 
ed on a more substantial foundation. It was typical of the 
Virginians of ante-bellum days that they demanded men who 
could speak and neglected men who could write. Maxwell pub- 
lished a modest volume of "Poems," dedicated to Rev. Dr. 
Timothy Dwight, of Yale, dated "Norfolk, Va., May 1, 1812." 

The verse is of extraordinary merit. The style is classic 
in the strictest sense. Every line is carefully wrought and 
bears the marks of that painstaking labor without which perfec- 
tion is impossible. If Mxawell's extemporaneous speeches 
were as aptly expressed and as elegantly constructed as his 
poems one can understand the charm of his delighted auditors. 

3 



The most pretentious poem is ^'Ariadne and Theseus," classic 
in theme and style. One of Maxwell's finest bits of verse was 
done as an eulogy to his late pastor, Rev. Benjamin Porter 
Grigsby. Aside from its poetic value these lines are deeply 
interesting to the student of Presbyterian history in Virginia. 

The Presbyterian Church of the Tidewater section has a long 
history, most of which is now hopelessly lost. The Tidewater 
churches sprang from a root entirely different from the 
churches up-state. The father, not the founder, of Norfolk 
Presbyterianism was Rev. Benjamin Porter Grigsby. The 
Presbytery of Hanover in 1792 licensed two brilliant young 
men and sent them to itinerate in Eastern Virginia as mis- 
sionaries. One was Archibald Alexander and the other 
young Grigsby. They rode together from the Valley to 
Petersburg. When they parted Alexander traveled south and 
west and Grigsby set forth to JSTorfolk, ''with his sole per- 
sonal possessions in a pair of saddle bags." He did the work 
of an evangelist well — we know of none who did it better. He 
gathered the Presbyterians of the borough, and though he did 
not remain long, he made a lasting impression upon them. 
Among his scattered flock the Maxwells must have been influ- 
ential, perhaps the most prominent family, with whom he had 
to do. William was then a lad of eight. Grigsby did not re- 
main, but soon settled as pastor of the churches at Lewisburg 
and Union, now West Virginia. 

In 1801 the Presbyterians of Norfolk made the brilliant 
young minister a "call." He accepted it and remained in the 
growing town for nine fruitful and blessed years of devoted 
service. No reason is vouchsafed us for Mr. Grigsby's leav- 
ing so delightful a pastorate for one so difficult. No doubt it 
was the appeal of the growing and godless town with its great 
future that brought the consecrated young clergyman from the 
bluegrass valleys of the west. At the opening of the Revolu- 
tion Norfolk was the largest city in the state. On the first 
day of January, 1776, at three in the morning, Lord Dunmore 
fired the town. He added to his infamy by shelling the stricken 
inhabitants, many of them Tories, as they fled for refuge to 

4 



the country districts carrying with them such effects as they 
might. The fire burned three days, unhindered, and the pros- 
perous city was a smoking ruin with not a single inhabitant! 

When the piping times of peace came again, Norfolk slowly 
and painfully rose from the ashes. At the time of Mr. Grigs- 
by's missionary visit there were about 3,000 people, just half 
the population before Dunmore's cruel conflagration. But the 
closing days of the century were marked by continued growth 
and great prosperity. In 1799 :N'orfolk counted 900 homes, 
4,500 people, on her marish peninsula. In 1800 the Federal 
government purchased a large tract of laud across the river 
and began the equipment of the navy yard. This promising 
development would likely affect a young man anxious to serve 
his Master to best advantage. 

During his ministry a church was erected. It was the only 
church in town provided with a bell, hence it was known lo- 
cally, and has come to be known historically as the Bell church. 
It was a substantial and even an ornate structure, erected in 
the best residential district. When Grigsby died the member- 
ship was only about fifty, but the Bell church provided some 
450 sittings. It was by far the largest building in town. The 
young minister fell in his golden prime; forty years of age. 
He lies in Trinity church-yard, Portsmouth, under a marble 
obelisk. His death was a calamity from which our church in 
Norfolk has never fully recovered. 

William Maxwell had begun the practice of law two years 
before Benjamin Grigsby 's death. The brilliant young law- 
yer's eulogy to his late pastor is a touching tribute, a fair and 
fragrant wreath of rosemary for remembrance. 

"Thy labors, Grigsby, in this world are o'er; 

The storm may rage, but thou shalt hear no more. 

How bright thy crown, thy robes of honor shine. 

And heaven's eternal paradise is thine! 

But I, poor pilgrim in this vale of tears. 

Tread on through darkness and distressing fears. 

This dreary waste, that seems without an end; 

More dreary still, since I have lost a friend." 



But it is to confess that this popular, successful, wealthy, 
cultured, honored young man of twenty-nine did not usually 
regard his life a "dreary waste that seems without an end." 
Many sprightly verses to Anne show that. They give another 
glimpse of Maxwell's style and literary method. These verses 
are the cry of a gallant young lover, exaggerated no doubt for 
gentle, blue-eyed Anne's sake. We judge that Maxwell did 
not take his love affairs so seriously as these ardent words im- 
ply. It has always been a characteristic of a Virginia gen- 
tleman, even the most conscientious Virginia gentleman, that 
he does not hesitate to tell a lie to, for or about a woman ; es- 
pecially a young, beautiful and lovable woman. 

"How many kisses do I ask? 
Faith, you set me to my task, 
First, sweet Anne, will you tell me, 
How many waves are in the sea? 
How many stars are in the sky? 
How many lovers you make sigh? 
How many sands are on the shore? 
— I shall want just one kiss more." 

We have no idea who sweet Anne was, but if she was as be- 
witching as William describes her she was a queen indeed! 

The Rose Bud. 

"See this opening rose-bud, Anne. 

Gay with morning dew, 
Trembling at the eye of man. 

Trembling, blushing, too 
'Tis. thy sweetest self, to see. 

Beauty's bud thou art. 
It shall flourish here, like thee, 

O'er this beating heart." 

A manly man loves with strength, passion and masterful 
purpose. These little poems came from the pen of a man who 
knew how to love; and to love hard. Perhaps he loved too 
passionately for his own good. He did not marry gentle, blue- 
eyed Anne. Whomsoever she may have wedded, we doubt that 

6 



she did better. Maxwell lived for many years a celibate. 
Whether he lived to sigh for Anne, while Anne loved another 
man, we cannot say. 

"Those eyes are so witchingly blue, 

Those cheeks are so witchingly red, 
I'm sure you can never be true, 

And why should I wish to be dead? 
So goodbye, dear Anne, I must go; 

Ah, yes, we must part! We must part! 
That eye will kill some one, I know, 

But I must take care of my heart." 

Maxwell's most popular jDoems were called forth by the sec- 
ond war with Great Britain. The Volnnteer's Adieu is es- 
pecially fine; and then, too, it has local flavor. Kichmond 
troops were rushed to Norfolk to protect the twin cities on 
Elizabeth river, and the navy yard, which the British were 
especially anxious to capture or destroy. The Richmond lads 
reassured their tearful sweethearts in these words: 

"Ye pretty girls who droop and sigh 

To bid your lads adieu; 
Come, kiss us now before we die, 
We go to fight for you. 

If British lads should come again, 

Their folly they may rue; 
They'll find what 'tis to handle men, 

Who fight to merit you. 

The rogues may try their warlike arts. 

What mischief can they do? 
Their bayonets cannot reach the hearts. 
We've left at home with you. 

There is more danger in your charms 

Than swords and cannon, too. 
We can defy a world at arms. 

When we're at peace with you." 

One lays the poems down with a sigh : and recalls the pes- 
simist's motto, "Sic transit gloria mundi." So completely have 



book and author been forgotten that neither finds a place in 
any collection of Virginia or Southern literature. Maxwell 
deserves better at the hands of posterity than he has received. 
The volume of poems, so narrow that one may slip it into his 
vest pocket, so thin that it seems impossible for 144 pages to 
find space therein, so crisp and yellow with the corroding touch 
of a century and more, deserves a better fate than oblivion. 
Here are true and worthy poems. Here is real literature 
with the touch of a genuine artist. We cannot grow so en- 
thusiastic as Dr. Conrad Speece, a giant of tongue and pen 
in his day, when in 1818 he declared, ''With this book in my 
hand I will no more suffer the assertion to pass in silence that 
Virginia has not yet produced a poet worthy of the title." 
That praise is a bit too fulsome, especially as Maxwell did 
not continue to cultivate the Muses. A second edition was 
brought out in Baltimore in 1816, but his talent was lienceforth 
unused. We wonder if gentle Anne was to blame? 

Maxwell's poems should by all means be republished; a 
memoir of his life and a few editorial notes added to explain 
the forffotten items of local history. Such a book would make 
a valuable re-contribution to the literature of our state and 
country. 

As A Man of Letters. 

The poetic gift was lodged with him useless, but Maxwell did 
not cease to write. In 1816 he published another book, "Let- 
ters from Virginia," translated from the French. The "let- 
ters" are anonymous, but are ordinarily attributed to Maxwell. 
We confess never to have seen a copy of this book. 

In 1827 Maxwell's literary ability was recognized in jSTew 
York. He was elected an editor of the Journal of Commerce. 
The position did not require him to leave his home. Except 
for the years at Yale, Maxwell never lived without the limits 
of this state. 

As A ClTIZE^f. 

The Marquis de la Fayette, in his well remembered tour of 
this eoimtrv, reached Norfolk with his son, George Washing- 



ton. He was met at the wharf by a small committee, one of 
whom was William Maxwell. The Mayor rode at the head of 
the procession, the children strewed the streets with a carpet 
of flowers, and the appreciative people did their utmost to ex- 
press their appreciation of the great French hero of the Revo- 
lution. The Marquis was made comfortable at ''Mrs. Hans- 
ford's boarding house," as there was no hotel in the town. 

Maxw^elFs abiding interest in general culture and his con- 
cern for his native city was further shown when (1828) he 
presented to the borough of Norfolk a lyceum for lectures and 
scientific experiments. Eleven years later the building was 
purchased by the Odd Fellows for $2,000. 

Although Maxwell had no political ambitions, the first popu- 
lar election to the House of Delegates after the proclamation 
of the "new" Constitution (of 1829) sent Maxwell to Rich- 
mond. He served one term (1830-32) and was then promoted 
to the Senate, in which he was an influential member for three 
terms (1832-38). 

As A Chtjkchman. 

When death claimed Dr. John Holt Rice (1831), Maxwell's 
oration to his memory, delivered before the Literary and Phil- 
osophical Society of Hampden-Sidney College (September 27, 
1832), was one of the great efforts of his life, and one of the 
notcAvorthy addresses of contemporary Virginia. Dr. Rice and 
Senator Maxwell had been friends for many years. Maxwell 
was a man of intense loyalty to his friends, as his eulogy to 
Grigsby and the dedication of his poems to Dwight attest. 

After the death of Benjamin P. Grigsby the vacant pulpit 
of the Bell church had not been promptly filled. The organi- 
zation was after the Presbyterian form, but the congregation 
was independent, holding much the same relation to the Pres- 
byterians upstate that the "Independent" Church of Savannah 
holds to the Synod of Georgia. There had been two ruling 
elders, but the minutes of the session are now lost. Rev. John 
Holt Rice, then a pastor in Richmond, visited the Bell church 
from time to time. He was the nearest pastor to the pastor- 

9 



less flock in Norfolk. Hugh Blair Grigsby was only four years 
old when his father died. The little lad continued to reside 
in Norfolk with his widowed mother. When he was a lad of 
eight the Bell church decided to unite with Hanover Presby- 
tery. Dr. Rice came down to preach and to preside upon this 
occasion (April 14, 1814). Speaking at Hampden-Sidney Col- 
lege in 1776, Grigsby said of that interesting and historic oc- 
casion: "Sixty-two years ago in Norfolk, when John Holt 
Rice was at the age of thirty-five, 1 saw him for the first time, 
and I remember the crowds that filled the church and the pri- 
vate dwellings in which he preached." 

It is not to be assumed that this was Dr. Bice's first visit to 
Norfolk. The Bell church was probably brought into the 
proper relation to presbytery by this great ecclesiastical states- 
man. On this same occasion the Bell church was reorganized. 
The two original elders were re-elected and William Maxwell 
added as the third member of Session. He was also ordained 
(as we surmise) by Dr. Rice. 

The new Session met promptly (April 23, 1814) and Max- 
well prepared a petition to Hanover Presbytery, which met in 
Petersburg May 7th, asking for the ordination of a Mr. Pax- 
ton, of Lexington Presbytery, and that he be allowed to serve 
the church for a time before his installation as pastor. We 
further surmise that the hand of Dr. Rice may be traced in 
this arrangement. It was inevitable that two such brilliant 
and congenial men as Maxwell and Rice should be mutually 
attracted. The friendship begun at this time ripened to a de- 
votion that was cemented with the confidence and esteem of 
passing years. 

Dr. Rice moved to Hampden-Sidney in 1823, and with such 
other choice spirits as Jonathan P. Gushing, the successful 
president of the college, and Dr. James Marsh, also of the 
"Hill," formed the Literary and Philosophical Society. The 
first "annual address" was delivered by Dr. Rice himself. The 
society had the fluctuations of interest that usually mark such 
organizations, but, to quote Dr. A. J. Morrison, "the grand 
anniversary meeting in September was never neglected. It 

10 



was then that some gentleman from a distance, eminent for 
literary and professional attainments, would occupy the stage." 

The third annual address was delivered by Dr. Rice's long 
time friend from Norfolk, William Maxwell. He discussed 
the vexed problem of education in this state. His address was, 
of course, extemporaneous. When written, later, and printed 
it covered fifty-two large pages. We regret to say that a 
copy of this great speech is not to be found in the library at 
Hampden-Sidney, though it may be found in the library at 
Yale. How careless Virginians are of their literature, of their 
history and of the biographies of their great leaders! 

W^hen Rice passed it was both natural and appropriate that 
Senator Maxwell should be called to the "Hill" to deliver an 
oration to his memory. When the oration was printed it cov- 
ered some thirty-three pages. 

A few years later Senator Mawell brought out a memoir of 
Dr. Rice (Philadelphia, 1835). It is illustrated with an ex- 
cellent portrait of Rice, and contains 412 pages. It is one of 
the classics of Virginia biography, and a most valuable and 
trustworthy authority on Presbyterian history. It is today 
the best known literary work of William Maxwell. 

The following year (1836) the Board of Trustees of the col- 
lege conferred upon the author the scholarly and well merited 
degree of LL. D. This rare degree had been conferred only 
twice previously in more than sixty years. In 1825 the col- 
lege conferred the honor upon United States Senator Benj. 
Watkins Leigh, and in 1826 upon Chapman Johnson^ rector 
of the newly established University of Virginia. Dr. Maxwell 
was at the same time elected to a place upon the Board. 

As Aisr Educator. 

Dark days were now upon the threshold for this princely 
man. His patrimony, to which he had added large earnings 
and which was largely invested in Norfolk real estate, was 
swept away in an acute financial crisis. His last years were 
spent in comparatively meagre circumstances. 

^ 11 



Vicissitudes come to institutions of learning, even as they 
come to individuals. Under Gushing Hampden-Sidnej enjoyed 
a very successful era, perhaps the most successful in its long 
and splendid history. Dr. Carroll succeeded Gushing. His 
administration was brief and troubled (1835-38). All eyes 
now turned to Dr. Maxwell. He was elected and served the 
college for six years (1838-44). Had it not been for the dis- 
tressing Old School — New School schism that rent the Presby- 
terian Ghurch from end to end, and absorbed all the interest 
and exhausted all the energies of clergy and laity, we make 
bold to say that Maxwell's administration would have been 
even more successful than that of Jonathan P. Gushing. 

Hampden-Sidney is now such a beautiful spot, with its mag- 
nificent trees of a century's growth, with its wide spreading 
lawns and ivy covored walls, that we cannot realize how un- 
sightly it was in 1836. Robert L. Dabney wrote his sister: 
"This place is not very remarkable for anything at all except 
poverty, for the college stands in the middle of an old field full 
of gullies and weeds, and the cows of the neighborhood come 
up to the very windows with their bells making such a noise 
that I cannot study. The college is a great brick building, 
four stories high. It has forty-eight rooms, besides the public 
halls, making fifty-three in all. The rooms are large enough 
to accommodate three persons each." 

But the college did exert a charm even upon the very criti- 
cal and candid young man. The next year he writes of "these 
dreary walls" : "Although all the external appearances are 
uncomfortable and repelling, few persons ever come here with- 
out regretting their departure." President Maxwell went to 
work with characteristic energy to improve the appearance of 
things. He put the buildings in thorough repair and made 
the campus attractive by planting fruit and forest trees, laying 
out pleasure walks and doing all in his power to beautify the 
college, benefit the students, and render them comfortable and 
happy. His ideal for the college, he said, was a place where 
pure morals and sound learning may be taught. 

The president's salary was $1,400, a very modest sum even 

12 



for that day of simple living, and that place of quiet and 
classic retirement. The vested funds amounted to $40,000, 
which was not bad for a small college in rural Virginia. The 
need for greater financial resources was acute; "to establish 
the college upon a sure and permanent basis for the benefit of 
the present age and of all posterity." Maxwell's plan was to 
solicit $20,000 from the churches of East and West Hanover 
Presbyteries. It does seem that this reasonable sum might 
have been secured. "We do not know how successful the ef- 
fort was, but we judge that the response from the churches 
was not liberal. In 1841 the Board unanimously adopted a 
resolution to the effect that the college needed the cordial sup- 
port of all its friends. It needed patronage and funds. The 
resolution reads: "The institution was originally founded 
within the bounds of the Presbytery of Hanover under the aus- 
pices of said Presbyteiy, and was at first, and has ever since 
been, mainly supported by the clergy and laity of the Presby- 
terian Church. Resolved, that the Presbyterians of East and 
West Hanover be and hereby are solemnly requested to recog- 
nize the college as being imder the immediate patronage of their 
bodies in such a manner as they should think most proper." 

President Maxwell reported to the Board the following year 
that the resolutions were received by the Presbyteries "with 
great favor." "Resolutions were adopted by the Presbyteries 
considered by the Board as evidence of perpetual union between 
the college and their bodies." 

The faculty during Dr. Maxwell's first year consisted of 
only three professors beside the president. But one of the 
three was John W. Draper, who at this time and probably in 
his laboratory at Hampden-Sidney made the first photograph 
from life. Another member of the faculty was also from l^or- 
folk, Francis H. Smith. He had just graduated from West 
Point. This young man had the vision of a West Point for 
the South. This institution he wished to establish at Hanip- 
den-Sidney, or, to be more accurate, he wished to make the 
classical college over on military lines. He soon moved to Lex- 
ington and became the founder and for half a century the su- 

13 



perintendent of the Virginia Military Institute. As this school 
soon graduated Stonewall Jackson and other such leaders, the 
young professor's dream was more splendidly realized that the 
most optomistic could have hoped. 

The young men that Maxwell rfent forth from the college 
measured up well with his renowned faculty. There were 
Moses D. Hoge, whose fame as an orator approached Max- 
well's ; Professor Charles S. Venable, of the University of Vir- 
ginia; United States Senator Anthony M. Branch, of Texas, 
and many others less distinguished. There were such officers 
in the Confederate army as Colonels Harrison Robertson, John 
T. Thornton, Parke Poindexter and C. L. Arbuckle ; such suc- 
cessful editors as W. C. Carrington, of the Richmond "Times," 
and the veteran W. T. Richardson, of the "Central Presbyte- 
rian" ; such physicians and surgeons as Jam.es T. Spencer, of 
Farmville; Robert B. Tunstall, of ISTorfolk, and Paul S. Car- 
rington, of ISFewport, Ky. ; such wealthy business men as Cap- 
tain Samuel Woodson Venable and Robert Dunn, of Peters- 
burg; such educators and writers as Clement R. Vaughan, W. 
W. Reed and Judge W. P. Dabney; such eminent jurists as 
Judges George W. Shelton, of Mississippi; F. P. Wood, of 
Texas; Wood Bouldin, of the Virginia Court of Appeals, and 
Edward A. Palmer, of Texas. 

President Maxwell had never married. He now claimed as 
his bride a sister of Colonel Harrison Robertson, of Charlottes- 
ville, Va. 

The duties of his office weighed heavily upon Dr. Maxwell 
in his declining years. Some members of the Board were not 
satisfied with the progress of the college. There was insubor- 
dination among the students and general unrest. 

As AN Editor. 

Dr. Maxwell removed to Richmond. There he gave instruc- 
tion in law and became an enthusiastic member of the Virginia 
Bible Society, and of the Virginia Colonization Society. His 
last valuable work was as editor of the Virginia Historical 
Register (1848-53). 

14 



The six volumes of this modest magazine are a veritable 
mine of Virginia history and biography. It was the kind of 
work the soul of William Maxwell delighted in. Sometimes 
the choicest fruit is gathered from an old tree. A note is 
found at the bottom of the last page of the sixth volimie. It 
thanks the members of the Virginia Historical Society for 
their support, and the subscribers for their "moderate aid'' 
and the correspondents for their contributions to the pages 
of the magazine. "And, lastly, we now commend our work 
in its finished form to all that favor of the public which it 
may honestly and fairly claim." 

William Maxwell closed his long and distinguished career 
at the home of Littleton T. Waller, near Williamsburg, Janu- 
ary 10, 1857. The storms that swept over the country in 
January have never been forgotten. So severe was the weather 
that it was not possible to have the funeral of Dr. Maxwell 
for many days. His old friend and pupil, Moses D. Hoge, 
went down from Kichmond to conduct the funeral. At the meet- 
ing of the Virginia Historical Society for March, Dr. Hoge 
described the obsequies and delivered an eloquent eulogy to 
Maxwell's memory. 

The benign influence of Maxwell still abides, especially his 
influence as president of Hampden-Sidney College. The young 
men he trained have left their impress upon the characters of 
otliers in all parts of Virginia and the regions beyond. 



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